


selfish needs and wants

by Nemainofthewater



Series: Operation: reward ThebanSacredBand for surviving exam season [4]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Don't copy to another site, Gen, Post-Canon, Reginald Hargreeves is really awful, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Swearing, Time Travel, the opposite of a fix it?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 08:36:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18495316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nemainofthewater/pseuds/Nemainofthewater
Summary: Post finale. Five transports the Hargreeves back in time to try and stop the Apocalypse. They go home. None of them realised what that meant.





	selfish needs and wants

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ThebanSacredBand](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThebanSacredBand/gifts).



The world compresses and expands, imploding and exploding at the same time. If Klaus thought that travelling through time via briefcase had been bad, this was ten times worse. No, a hundred times. He has no idea if it’s because Five hasn’t ever taken passengers, or whether it’s something to do with the explosion that they barely missed, or whether it’s a mix of both of them. Maybe Five is just a shit driver though.

 

They land awkwardly, stumbling on too-short legs, tripping over their clothes which have grown ridiculously large. Or rather, they have shrunk. Luther almost drops Vanya, catching himself at the last moment and carefully setting her on the floor. Yeah, good call.

 

They’re back at the Academy for some reason, having travelled through space and time. The chandelier is intact: that’s the only indication of how far back they’ve gone. Because in the 30 years or so Klaus has been alive, the Academy has never changed: the same oppressive air, the same hushed silence. The only indication of time passing, from what Klaus can remember, is in the accumulated traumatic memories.

 

Seven growing children never managed to make a mark on the house. But the house sure as hell made a mark on them. There’s a reason that Klaus never returned, no matter how hungry or desperate he was. And it wasn’t just because of Reginald (although he certainly didn’t help).

 

“Come on Five, really?” Klaus asks, pushing the painful memories to the side and turning toward the only one of his siblings that still looks the same, “Just because you’re stuck being a midget, it doesn’t mean that you have to punish the rest of us.”  

 

“I warned you this might happen,” Five replies tersely. “You should be proclaiming my genius. The amount of mental calculations I had to do to account for all of us, it’s a miracle that we didn’t lose a limb.”

 

“How far back are we?” Ben asks.

 

Silence.

 

“What’s the matter with them?” Ben asks Klaus, frowning.

 

“Don’t ask me,” Klaus says, “Honestly I think that their brains are still scrambled from the ride. Seriously,” he says turning toward the others, “That was so much rougher than it had to be. Ben agrees with me.”

 

“Stop putting words in my mouth,” Ben groans.

 

“Ben…?” Luther asks.

 

“Oh shit,” Klaus says, “I think they can see you.”

 

He reaches forward and carefully pokes Ben.

 

“Unless my powers have got extremely good in the last five minutes, I think you’re alive again bro!”

 

Klaus’ words break the strange spell, and they all rush forward to crowd around an overwhelmed Ben.

 

“Ben!” Allison says, “God. I can’t believe it. I’ve missed you.” She stops in realisation. Raises her hand to her neck.

 

“Your throat,” Luther breathes, “It’s healed.”

 

“Wow, no wonder you’re Number One with observation skills like that,” Diego snorts. He looks at Allison, and then Ben. He softens. “Seriously though. I’m glad you’re ok. Both of you. One upside to this whole shitty apocalypse thing.”

 

“How many times do I have to tell you to watch your language Number Two.”

 

Six backs stiffen instinctively.

 

“Dad?” Luther asks.

 

“Obviously Number One. I thought that I’d trained you out of making such inane comments.”

 

Reginald Hargreeves looks the same as Klaus remembers, standing tall and proud, omnipresent monocle perched on her face, looking down at them all with disapproval. He looks down at Vanya, lying unconscious on the floor, and still dressed in her over-large white tuxedo. He gives her body a slight nudge with his walking stick.

 

“Well,” he sniffs, looking around at the rest of them, gaze lingering purposefully on Five, “I see that you’ve managed to fail at stopping the Apocalypse.”

 

No one says anything.

 

“Why else would you all be here looking like this-” he makes an imperious gesture in their general direction, “When I know for a fact that you’re out in the world enjoying your ‘independence’ as marginally functional twenty-eight-year olds? I presume you forgot to account for atomic displacement when travelling back to the past Number Five? You never did have a head for the details.”

 

Five bristles like an angry chihuahua.

 

“I had less than ten minutes to make the calculations!” he protests.

 

“An entire ten minutes and you didn’t manage to finish in time? How disappointing.  Still. At least I’ll be able to train it out of you this time.”

 

“This time?” Klaus chokes out. Because. No. Just no. He could not be implying what Klaus thought he was.

 

“Do enunciate properly Number Four,” Reginald snaps. “And yes, this time. A parent’s duty never ends, it seems. Hmph. Well, I assure you that I won’t be making the same mistakes as last time. You will achieve your _full_ potential this time, Number Four. I will personally ensure it.”

 

Klaus laughs wildly. Hysterically. He can feel Ben behind him, gloriously solid Ben laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he can’t seem to stop. Because the thought of reliving his shitty childhood? Only worse? Yeah. Over his dead body. He says as much.

 

“Very short-sighted of you,” Reginald says, a cruel gleam in his eyes. “After all, none of you are legally people. Not at this age. Which means no identification, no way of making any money… Oh, I’m sure you could survive on the streets Number Four. You’ve done it before. But can the rest of you?”

 

Klaus falls silent. Because the truth is…. No he can’t. Luther is too naïve, Diego would get killed in a street fight in less than a week, and Allison has never known privation in her life. Five would probably make it: he’s a contrary bastard like that. He’s pragmatic though: Five will know that there’s not much they can do to stop the Apocalypse if they’re fighting to survive. Ben and Vanya though? His gentle siblings? Ben who died young, who deserves a better life. Vanya who they all swore they were going to help. No. They don’t deserve a childhood like that.

 

“I heard a Rumour-” Allison starts, voice wavering.

 

Reginald places the edge of his cane on Vanya’s throat.

 

“I wouldn’t if I were you, Number Three,” he says casually, “Not unless you think you can finish your sentence more quickly than I can crush her throat.”

 

Allison shuts her mouth with an audible SNAP, looking stricken.

 

“Right choice,” Reginald says.

 

“Dad,” Luther says helplessly, “How can you-”

 

“Oh, don’t get started with me Number One. If you’d managed to grow into an actual leader and not a colossal disappointment, then we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.”

 

“Now,” Reginald says, “Number Three, come here.”

 

Allison hesitates. Reginald applies the slightest bit of pressure to his cane, causing Vanya to choke. Diego growls and starts forward, only stopped to be stopped by Five.

 

“Don’t be an idiot,” he hisses, narrowed eyes fixed in their father.

 

“Yes, Number Two,” Reginald says, “Listen to your brother.”    

 

Allison looks at Luther helplessly: all he can do is angrily stare at the floor. Useless. She takes a deep breath and moves toward Reginald.

 

“Closer Number Three. Stop dawdling!”

 

When Allison gets close enough, Reginald calmly removes a syringe from his pocket and injects it into Allison’s arm before she can react.

 

“Ironic, isn’t it?” he says conversationally, “That you were responsible for your sister’s loss of her powers. And now she’s responsible for yours.”

 

He removes the cane from Vanya’s throat, taking the opportunity to fussily straighten his cuffs.

 

“Now children,” he says, “Make your way to your rooms. Dinner will be served in an hour. After dinner?”

 

Reginald smiles, and Klaus feels a frisson of fear down his spine.

 

“After dinner we’ll start the new training regimens.”

**Author's Note:**

> Right ThebanSacredBand this is angst again and I realise that I am not helping my case here. I hope you enjoy anyway!  
> I am on Tumblr as [Nemainofthewater ](https://nemainofthewater.tumblr.com)


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